Now before you assume we’re talking about Roswell and alien-UFO shenanigans, let me clarify. Karen wasn’t always a believer in the USANA 5-Day RESET™ Kit.

“When RESET first came out, I didn’t like it,” she says candidly. “I thought for sure that it was a diet in a box, and I’m very anti-diet.” Living in a culture touting lemon cleanses, detox diets, and the next new Hollywood fad diet, the Australian physician, entrepreneur, and author was understandably skeptical.

But then she tried RESET for herself. And it made all the difference.

Why Karen Changed Her Mind

“I’ve come to see RESET as a great gift—one that helps you to jumpstart healthy eating habits that can change your whole lifestyle.”

Karen loves the fact that the 5-Day RESET is a satisfying and nutritionally balanced program. It’s easy to follow, extremely structured, and very effective. Every day, simply replace three meals with a delicious Nutrimeal™ shake (Dutch Chocolate is her personal fave), take the USANA supplements provided, eat whole-food, low-glycemic snacks, and practice healthy lifestyle habits.

This whole-health approach helps you to get off the craving roller coaster and make a clean break from the effects of unhealthy, high-glycemic foods.

Hit RESET on Life

“If people follow RESET for the five days, they will feel a difference,” Karen says.

For her, completing the RESET program helped to balance her blood sugar levels.† “I didn’t know I had sugar cravings until I did RESET,” she recalls. “It was a wake-up call, and I experienced cravings similar to those on detox programs the first day. But after three days my cravings were gone.”

By day five, Karen was craving healthy foods instead, and she promptly started cooking healthier meals at home. “Ultimately, the goal is to help people change their lifestyle. This isn’t a diet like I first thought it was—it’s the perfect jumpstart to launch you into healthy eating.”

The Three M’s

Each RESET Kit has three elements, or “Ms” as Karen calls them: macronutrients, micronutrients, and microbiome support.

Macronutrients

The Nutrimeal shakes provided in each kit make up the macronutrients. Not only are they creamy and ridiculously delicious, but these meal replacements also provide a good ratio of carbohydrates, protein, and beneficial fats to support a healthy weight. Their low-glycemic formulas are designed to digest more slowly to deliver sustained energy while you complete your RESET. You’ll also choose a variety of tasty, low-glycemic snacks to eat throughout the week to support your macronutrition needs.

Micronutrients

Along with the single-serve Nutrimeal packs, each kit includes a five-day supply of USANA’s HealthPak™, which provides micronutrients. “Some people may be nutrient depleted due to the everyday stresses of life and not eating healthy foods regularly. And if you’re nutrient depleted, it’s going to be hard to obtain the ideal levels of important nutrients you need to maintain overall health,” Karen says. This is why she believes supplementing with high-quality micronutrients is so crucial.

“Micronutrients provide health on a cellular level,” she explains. Each HealthPak contains a full daily dose of USANA supplements made with exclusive USANA InCelligence Technology®. “They use cell-signaling technology. This basically tells our own human cells to turn on certain metabolic pathways to maximize our nutrient support.”

Microbiome

Each RESET Kit also comes with a five-day supply of USANA® Probiotic, which provides a full range of benefits to our gut, or microbiome.

“There’s this other aspect to health that people often ignore, which is our microbiome,” says Karen. She compares our microbiome to a tropical rainforest made up of a diversity of plant types. Just as each kind of plant life plays a different role in the ecosystem, each microbe (bacteria) in our gut plays an important role.

“Our microbial cells outnumber our human cells 10 to 1, and many of us have an imbalance in our gut,” Karen says. She explains that whenever we eat certain processed foods, for example, it can disrupt the important microbe balance in our gut, which then can temporarily throw everything out of whack.

That’s where the probiotic comes into play. USANA’s Probiotic helps bring balance to your belly and digestive tract with a blend of good bacteria—Bifidobacterium BB-12® and Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG®. Both of these strains have been clinically shown to survive the harsh acidic environment of the stomach.*

Healthy Snacks Are Actually a Thing

Nutritious low-glycemic snacks are a fourth element of the RESET Kit. Before beginning RESET, Karen highly recommends getting your snacks prepared. A few days before starting, look at the list of delicious low-glycemic snack options provided in the RESET program guide and choose your favorites. One or two days before, purchase and prepare all of your snacks and fruits and veggies so you have plenty on hand. “I recommend having a salad in the fridge at all times,” Karen says.

Yogurt: Buy low-fat or nonfat, no sugar added. “I love plain Greek yogurt. Yogurts with ‘live cultures’ are healthiest. If you are sensitive to dairy, try a soy yogurt.”

Nuts: An ideal combination of unsaturated fat, protein, and carbs. “Nuts are portable and nutritious. Buy raw, unsalted nuts or peanuts in the shell. The average size is a ‘handful,’ which is about 200 calories, depending on the variety.”

Hard-boiled egg: “This makes for a perfectly balanced snack.”

Another snack tip? Clean your cupboards. “Go through your pantry and get rid of any crackers and chips. You need to get rid of any temptations,” she says.

Use the Buddy System

Another way to ensure success is to RESET with a buddy. “There may be people who will try to sabotage your efforts,” Karen warns. That sabotage could be your coworkers inviting you to a tasty taco bar for lunch, or it could be your neighbor dropping off a pan of fresh-baked banana bread. But resetting with a buddy makes you accountable and will give you the motivation to stick to your healthy eating goals. “I commissioned my husband to do it with me. Of course, he breezed through the whole thing while it was much harder for me,” Karen laughs.

Listen to Your Body

When it comes to working out during your RESET, Karen suggests walking. “My biggest recommendation is to get 10,000 steps a day,” she says. “There has been a lot of positive research on the benefits of walking, and moving is so good for your health.”

She also recommends listening closely to your body. For instance, if you regularly lift weights or swim laps and find that you are feeling tired, you may need to tone down your activity level, since everyone has different responses when doing RESET.

“Pull back if you need to, or try doing only 30 minutes of very moderate exercise. Whatever you do, be sure to get your steps in. It’s so important.”

Stress Less

Something you’ll want to be careful about during your RESET week is stress. “We can be stress eaters and easily reach for emotional foods like cupcakes and candy,” Karen warns. That’s why she “stresses” (har-har) that it’s important to care for your emotional and mental health while resetting. Really be aware of stress-management techniques that work for you and apply them throughout the week.

This could mean taking a little work break to read a good book, heading to the park for a leisurely walk, or even pampering yourself. “Have a warm bubble bath at night or get a massage,” she says. Karen also suggests getting plenty of sleep, since sleep deprivation can trigger hunger. “Set yourself up for success.”

Put Your Hands in the Air

Getting off the sugar-craving roller coaster doesn’t have to be a difficult feat—RESET makes it an easy stop. And you may find yourself happy that you’ve jumpstarted new healthy eating habits into your lifestyle.

Just ask Karen.

Biography

Dr. Karen Wolfe is an Australian physician, entrepreneur, healthy lifestyle coach, author and international speaker. She was born in Sydney, Australia and graduated from Sydney University with a bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery and completed a master’s degree in psychology from National University in California.

Karen worked initially in Australia as a family physician and later spent eight years in the administration of national health care, wellness, and senior programs in her role as the medical director of the Australian Government Health Service.

Karen moved to the United States in 1991 and began her wellness career in corporate wellness. She assisted companies and school districts to reduce health-care costs by customizing wellness programs to improve the health and well-being of employees. She is a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and is a long-time faculty member of the National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine. In 2016, she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Wellness Institute.

She is the author of seven books which include Is Your Lifestyle Killing You? She is an international speaker on stress management, wellness, and nutrition.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Where can I get a copy of the snack ideas (and portion sizes) before my Reset/Transform combo kit arrives? I just ordered today and want to know what to buy at the market so my snacks are prepped and ready the moment my kit arrives!